Old 14" cast iron bandsaw opinions - Elephant/Packard Precision/whatever

[Staffan Hamala]

I'm considering buying a used 14" bandsaw. I visited the seller today, and had a look. The saw is about 20-30 years old. Needs new tires, but otherwise in good condition. I think the price was a bit high, but that might be negotiable.

Unfortunately I don't have any good photos of the machine in question, but doing a google search, I found some pictures of similar bandsaws. Some are labeled Elephant, but I found this one, labeled Packard Precision, that looks _exactly_ like the one I was looking at today:
Packard-Bandsaw_zpsbf86d881.jpg

I found the picture here:
http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/threads/59375-Packard-Precision-Bandsaw-Cracked-Upper-Guide-Casting

The saw frame is in cast iron. The table as well. There was no fence, but I could just buy a Kreg fence. There was a riser kit installed (from the factory, from the look of it).

The saw has no port for dust collection, but that should not be difficult to add. I forgot to check, but I think the back is steel, not cast iron, as the frame. So it should be possible to make a hole for the dust extraction port.

There are no hinges on the doors - which are not really doors, but covers. Two knobs are used to fasten each cover. A bit of an annoyance, but only when you need to look inside. :-)

What do you think? Is this a good saw? How much would you pay for a saw like this?

[John TenEyck]

Depends upon what your needs are. If it only has a 1/2 or 3/4 HP motor it's going to make resawing very slow and frustrating, reducing the benefit of the riser block. If it has a 1.5 or 2 HP motor, however, then that's a much better arrangement. I doubt I'd pay more than $200 for it with a 1/2 or 3/4 HP motor; $300 if a 1.5 HP motor. My friend bought one last Winter pretty similar to that, with a 1 HP motor, for $75.

John

[Staffan Hamala]

Or wait.. Can it be so that the back of the lower part (behind the lower wheel) is made of cast iron? That might be the reason why people add the dust port on the front on similar machines. I feel I wouldn't like that. The hose would get in my way...

I just found the following photos (on the Internet) of a similar bandsaw:
Yung2.jpgYung3.jpg

[John Lanciani]

$50 tops if it is in running condition. That is an early Tiawanese clone of a Delta 14". Parts other than tires and bearings will not be easily available and quality was marginal at best when they were made. For $200 -$300 you should be able to find a real Delta in ready to run condition.

[Rick Thompson34]

Junk...wouldn't allow someone to pay me to put it in the shop. Save your pennies and diligently watch craigslist and other sources. A decent older Delta or Powermatic will pop up and it will be an exponentially better machine than any of the clones.

Rick

[Judson Green]

I'm somewhere between John and Rick. I might consider it if it was in good working order and had a beefy enough motor and cheep enough and practically delivered itself. But I rather have a Delta, Jet or Powermatic.

If it was going in my shop... I'd keep looking.

What are they asking for it?

[Bruce Page]

A lot depends on where you are and machine availability. I would pass on any but the major 14" Delta clones like Jet, Grizzly, Rigid, General International, etc. You will have a more refined machine and a better chance of finding replacement parts.

[Myk Rian]

I had one just like that one. Gave it away free because I couldn't find parts for it.

[Staffan Hamala]

The seller wanted $500 for it.
I've talked to the seller again, and tried to haggle, but he wouldn't go lower than $400.

I'm told it is in running order, but I don't want to try running it as the tire on the lower wheel is missing.

[CPeter James]

Don't buy it!!! The seller is asking more than it cost new and it will be nothing but trouble. Wait and get either any Delta 14" or maybe a late model Jet or General or PM. This is overprice junk!!

CPeter

[Randy Bonella]

I'm with the others. Way over priced for that saw. I picked up 2 older Delta/Rockwell 14" bandsaws (1947 and a 1965) for about $120 each. I put about another $100 into refurbishing each of them. Great old-iron saws. Parts are readily available on these. Keep checking Craigslist at the top level, not in tools do a search using both "bandsaw" and "band saw" you will get different results and sometimes people put stuff in the wrong directory so thats why I use the top level. Be on the Lookout for Delta, Rockwell, Delta/Rockwell, Jet or powermatic they are your best bets for good pricing. At least here in Portland, a good price for a saw that needs minimal work would be in the $300-$350 range, except for powermatic, they are getting in the $600-$800 range depending on year and features.

Be patient, search regularly on cragslist, be ready to jump on a deal when you see it. Deals won't last long. It took me some time looking prior to finding my saws. First one I was looking on a regular basis for about 6 months, missed out on a couple of deals and the 2nd saw took about 1 year of casual looking. What looked like a total wreck on craigslist was in fact in pretty good shape, all be it missing a few parts that were easily replaced.

Randy...

[Dave Cav]

I am right with John and Rick. The early Chinese clone band saws are junk. They have a number of pot metal parts that will corrode and fail. I purchased one new in around 1987 or so and I could never tune it up to work right. Some years ago some of the pot metal parts just fell apart. I kept the motor and put the rest in the metal recycle. Wait for a vintage Delta or a recent Jet or Grizzly.

[Curt Harms]

The seller wanted $500 for it.
I've talked to the seller again, and tried to haggle, but he wouldn't go lower than $400.

I'm told it is in running order, but I don't want to try running it as the tire on the lower wheel is missing.

That seller might want to take a look at Grizzly's web site. Various G0555s which are new with warranty run just over $500.

[Judson Green]

The seller wanted $500 for it.
I've talked to the seller again, and tried to haggle, but he wouldn't go lower than $400.

I'm told it is in running order, but I don't want to try running it as the tire on the lower wheel is missing.

That's just plain KraZy!!!!!

Run from this _deal_!!!!!!!


I paid considerably less than that for my Delta with riser block, fence, a bunch of blades, a light and larger motor.

Keep looking. You'll find it!

[David Masters]

This looks just like an Enco bandsaw my father gave me two years ago. It has a 1/2 hp motor and all I can say is that it works and I use it. I think he's asking about three times what it is worth. I've been thinking of buying a Grizzly 14" bandsaw because of the limitations I've found with the Enco saw.